Science
press releases.

Science23 May 2023

Support for extremism among military veterans is similar to U.S. public

Support among military veterans for extremist groups and extremist ideals appears similar to or less than levels seen among the U.S. public in general, despite fears that it could be higher, according to a new RAND Corporation report. Surveying a nationally representative group of military veterans, researchers found that support for extremist groups such the Proud Boys and Antifa was generally lower than rates derived from previous representative surveys of the general U.S. population. Assessing support among veterans for extremist beliefs, researchers found results that were more mixed. Support for QAnon was lower than the public at large, while support for political ...

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Science22 May 2023

California declares May 17 NEC Awareness Day

Sacramento, California – The Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC) Society is grateful to announce that California has declared May 17th as NEC Awareness Day with ACR 69. This resolution reflects the tireless dedication and advocacy by the NEC Society, its founder, Jennifer Canvasser (Davis, CA), and Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, who represents the 4th California Assembly District. Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a devastating intestinal disease that affects medically fragile infants in their first ...

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Science22 May 2023

Sexing chicken eggs by scent

Fertilized chicken eggs can be sexed by “sniffing” volatile chemicals emitted through the shell, according to new work by researchers at the University of California, Davis, and Sensit Ventures Inc., a startup company in Davis. The work is published May 22 in PLOS ONE. The study shows that it is feasible to sort eggs by sex, early in incubation, based on volatile organic chemicals, said Professor Cristina Davis, associate vice chancellor for interdisciplinary research and strategic initiatives at UC Davis and co-author on the paper. Hatcheries for laying hens sort chicks by sex a day after hatching, with male chicks being culled immediately. If hatcheries ...

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Science22 May 2023

Midwives provide better birth experiences marked by respect, autonomy

People giving birth report more positive experiences when cared for by midwives in both hospitals and in community settings than by physicians, according to a new study published in the journal Reproductive Health. Additionally, those receiving midwifery care at home or at birth centers reported better experiences than those in hospital settings. The majority of U.S. births (88%) are attended by physicians, while midwives attend 12% of births. Most births occur in the hospital, with less than 2% of all births occurring in community settings, including homes and freestanding birth centers. Most community births are attended by midwives. Measures of ...

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Science22 May 2023

Unpacking consumer research: identifying trends, emerging topics, and key insights

Researchers from Newcastle Business School, The University of Newcastle, and UNSW Business School, University of New South Wales, published a new paper in the Journal of Consumer Psychology that provides a comprehensive review of consumer research journals from both marketing and non-marketing disciplines. By identifying gaps in the literature, the paper offers guidance for those seeking to further progress consumer research. The article, recently published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, “’Inside’ ...

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Science22 May 2023

Why consumers forgo front-row seats: Sacrificing experience quality for togetherness

Researchers from, Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School, Harvard University’s Harvard Business School, and University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, published a new paper in the Journal of Consumer Psychology that provides novel insights about how consumers make trade-offs between experience quality and togetherness. The paper offers sheds new light on the choices people make when presented with the option of improving an activity separately (with first-class airline tickets, for ...

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Science22 May 2023

How intermittent feedback drives consumer impatience

Researchers from Fudan University’s School of Management published a new paper in the Journal of Consumer Psychology that provides original insights about the impact different types of feedback consumers have on consumers’ psychological state. Specifically, the research examines “piecemeal” feedback informing consumers of their progress or performance during each step of an online process such as making a purchase, playing a computer game, or customizing a product. The work compares intermittent feedback with “lump sum” feedback offered at the end of a ...

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Science22 May 2023

Study points out errors in illustrations of one of the most famous scientific experiments

Illustrations of scientific experiments play a fundamental role in both science education and the dissemination of scientific knowledge to the general public. Confirming the adage that “a picture is worth a thousand words,” these depictions of famous experiments remain in the minds of those who study them and become definitive versions of the scientific process. Archimedes in the bath discovering the law of buoyancy; Newton refracting sunlight with a prism and defining the principles of modern optics; Mendel cultivating peas and laying the foundations of genetics – these are just a few well-known ...

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Science22 May 2023

Two small businesses added to Sandia National Laboratories’ Mentor-Protégé program

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Sandia National Laboratories grew its Mentor-Protégé program from three companies to five with the addition of Dynamic Structures and Materials, LLC of Franklin, Tennessee, and Compunetics Inc., of Monroeville, Pennsylvania. The program not only helps small businesses develop and grow, but also helps foster long-term relationships that help Sandia achieve its mission. As one of 17 DOE national laboratories, Sandia’s mission includes: anticipating and resolving emerging national security challenges and innovating and ...

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Science22 May 2023

Early Frontier users seize exascale advantage, grapple with grand scientific challenges

With the world’s first exascale supercomputing system now open to full user operations, research teams are harnessing Frontier’s power and speed to tackle some of the most challenging problems in modern science. The HPE Cray EX system at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory debuted in May 2022 as the fastest computer on the planet and first machine to break the exascale barrier at 1.1 exaflops, or 1.1 quintillion calculations per second. That’s more calculations per second than every human on Earth could perform in four years. Frontier ...

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Science22 May 2023

A brand new, shiny CAR design

Immunotherapy is rapidly becoming a well-founded form of cancer treatment as it employs and strengthens a patient’s immune system to attack tumors. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells – genetically altered T cells used in immunotherapy that can locate and destroy cancer cells – show great promise. Yet they still struggle in broader applications, particularly in attacking non-tumor cells and persistence in killing tumor cells. Natasa Miskov-Zivanov, principal investigator and assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering, received a $299,986 EAGER ...

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Science22 May 2023

What constitutes a paradigm shift? An olive shrub’s mating system as a case study of Kuhn’s theory

Philosopher Thomas Kuhn’s influential theory of how scientific knowledge is built introduced the term “paradigm shift” to explain a transformation of a field’s ideas and methods. “A Paradigm Shift, or a Paradigm Adjustment? The Evolution of the Oleaceae Mating System as a Small-Scale Kuhnian Case Study,” a new paper published in The Quarterly Review of Biology, seeks to apply this analytical framework to a small controversy in population biology: the mating system of the shrub Phillyrea angustifolia. Traditional theory states that the sex ratio of a population should be 1:1 male to female (or ...

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Science22 May 2023

First Contact: Global team simulates message from extraterrestrial intelligence to Earth

First Contact: Global team simulates message from extraterrestrial intelligence to Earth A Sign in Space imagines how Earth might respond to a signal from aliens and invites the public to help decode an ET message. May 22, 2023, Mountain View, CA – What would happen if we received a message from an extraterrestrial civilization? Daniela de Paulis, an established interdisciplinary artist and licensed radio operator who currently serves as Artist in Residence at the SETI Institute and the Green Bank Observatory, has brought ...

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Science22 May 2023

Study highlights long-term benefits of family-based care following institutional care

SAN FRANCISCO, May 22, 2023 – New research, published online today in the American Journal of Psychiatry, provides the most robust and comprehensive evidence to date that children exposed to early psychosocial deprivation benefit substantially from family-based care. Senior author Kathryn L. Humphreys, Ph.D., discussed this work today at a special briefing during the 2023 Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association. Results of research from the Bucharest Early Intervention Project, the ...

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Science22 May 2023

Uncovering new mechanisms for wheat rust resistance

Researchers have cloned the wheat rust resistance genes Lr9 and Sr43 and identified that they encode unusual kinase fusion proteins[1][2]. Their research will enable new options for addressing resistance to disease in bread wheat. Each year about 20 percent of global wheat production is lost to pests and disease, the equivalent of 3,500 grain ships. Breeding resistant cultivars is one of the most economical and environmentally friendly ways to address the problem. The wild relatives of wheat provide a ...

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Science22 May 2023

A commonly used tool is suboptimal in predicting osteoporosis fracture risk in younger post-menopausal women

FINDINGS The commonly used Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX), which includes self-identified race and ethnicity information, and the Osteoporosis Self-Assessment Tool (OST), which does not, had suboptimal performance in determining major osteoporotic fracture risk across racial/ethnic categories in younger postmenopausal women. But OST was excellent for identifying who had osteoporosis within each racial/ethnic category. BACKGROUND The researchers sought to compare the ability of FRAX and OST ...

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Science22 May 2023

HPV transmission, persistence in pregnant women and neonates

About The Study: In this study of 1,050 pregnant women and their neonates, vaginal human papillomavirus (HPV) was frequently detected in pregnant women. Perinatal transmission was infrequent, and in this cohort, no infection detected at birth persisted at six months. Although HPV was detected in placentas, it remains difficult to differentiate contamination versus true infection. Authors: Helen Trottier, M.Sc., Ph.D., of the Universite de Montreal in Montreal, is the corresponding author. To ...

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Science22 May 2023

A giant leap forward in wireless ultrasound monitoring for subjects in motion

A team of engineers at the University of California San Diego has developed the first fully integrated wearable ultrasound system for deep-tissue monitoring, including for subjects on the go. It facilitates potentially life-saving cardiovascular monitoring and marks a major breakthrough for one of the world’s leading wearable ultrasound labs. The paper, “A fully integrated wearable ultrasound system to monitor deep tissues in moving subjects,” is published in the May 22, 2023 issue of Nature Biotechnology. “This project gives a complete solution to wearable ultrasound technology—not ...

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Science22 May 2023

Metal−organic frameworks meet MXene: New opportunities for electrochemical application

They published their work in Energy Material Advances. "The investigation of MXene/MOF hybrid materials with high electrochemical performance is important," said paper author Huan Pang, professor with the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Yangzhou University. "Currently, MXene/MOF hybrid materials have received increasing attention in energy-related fields." Pang explained the motivations for designing MXene/MOF hybrid materials. Firstly, MXenes with numerous negatively charged surface groups can be employed as a valid substrate to support the growth of MOFs, thus not ...

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Science22 May 2023

How plants use sugar to produce roots

Along with sugar reallocation, a basic molecular mechanism within plants controls the formation of new lateral roots. An international team of plant biologists has demonstrated that it is based on the activity of a certain factor, the target of rapamycin (TOR) protein. A better understanding of the processes that regulate root branching at the molecular level could contribute to improving plant growth and therefore crop yields, according to research team leader Prof. Dr Alexis Maizel of the Centre for Organismal Studies at Heidelberg University. Good root growth ensures that plants can absorb sufficient ...

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Science22 May 2023

Eu3+-Bi3+ codoping double perovskites for single-component white-light-emitting diodes

They published their work on May. 15 in Energy Material Advances. "With lead-halide perovskites reaching a mature research stage approaching product marketing, concerns remain about the materials' stability and the toxicity of lead-based salts." said paper author Hongwei Song, professor at College of Electronic Science and Engineering, Jilin University. Double perovskites with Cs2AgInCl6 composition, often doped with various elements, have been in the spotlight owing to their intriguing optical properties, namely, ...

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Science22 May 2023

Are you prone to feeling guilty? You may be less likely to take a bribe

Bribery is among the most recognizable forms of corruption, and new research is shedding light on personality traits that could deter this behavior. Guilt-prone people are less likely to accept bribes, particularly when the act would cause obvious harm to other people. The research, published in Social Psychological and Personality Science, contributes to a growing body of literature on individual differences in corrupt behaviors. “Our results have important implications for current world events, particularly in the realm of politics and governance where corruption and bribery are major concerns,” says author Prof. Xiaolin Zhou, of East China Normal University. “More ...

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Science22 May 2023

Adverse pregnancy outcomes increase stroke risk

Investigators from the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai found that women who experience an adverse pregnancy outcome—such as gestational hypertension, preeclampsia or preterm birth—have a higher risk of developing stroke in their lifetime, and at a younger age. The findings, published today in the peer-reviewed journal Stroke, also found that compared to women with one uncomplicated pregnancy, a woman who had two or more pregnancies impacted by an adverse pregnancy outcome had a twofold higher increase of stroke. “We understand from past studies in the U.S. that women have a greater risk of experiencing a stroke and a disproportionate ...

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Science22 May 2023

Earlier snowpack melt in the West could bring summer water scarcity

Snow is melting earlier, and more rain is falling instead of snow in the mountain ranges of the Western U.S. and Canada, leading to a leaner snowpack that could impact agriculture, wildfire risk and municipal water supplies come summer, according to a new study from the University of Colorado Boulder. Published in Nature Communications Earth & Environment, the study documents more than 60 years of change in snowpack water storage across Western North America. It found that from 1950 to 2013, snowpack water storage ...

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Science21 May 2023

Study linking mucus plugs and COPD mortality could help save lives

A retrospective analysis of patient data from the COPDGene study suggests that targeting mucus plugs could help prevent deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease—the fourth leading cause of death in the United States Many patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) experience airway-clogging mucus plugs, an accumulation of mucus in the lungs that can affect quality of life and lung functioning. A new study led by researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding ...

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